WATER SECURITY

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop) (14:20): My question is to the Minister for Water Security. Are the MOU signed in March 2008 and the intergovernmental agreement to be signed today—which deals with the symptoms of the water crisis rather than the cause—an admission of defeat by the Rann Labor Government? The MOU and the agreement to be signed today at COAG do not require Victoria and New South Wales to refer their powers to the commonwealth, do not provide for a strong independent authority free of state ministers' influence to take control of the river, leave Victoria's state plan for the Murray in place until 2019, and do not address the overallocation of water upstream.

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD (Chaffey—Minister for the River Murray, Minister for Water Security, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Small Business, Minister Assisting the Minister for Industry and Trade) (14:21): The answer to that question is definitely no. The memorandum of understanding, which was signed in March this year, actually established the principles under which an IGA would be developed. At the time of the announcement of the MOU, it was always made very public that the next stage would be the signing of an intergovernmental agreement at the next COAG meeting—which happens to be today. The intergovernmental agreement is the legal and binding document to back up the memorandum of understanding.

During the course of negotiations with the commonwealth, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland in relation to the details of the intergovernmental agreement, there has been much discussion about a whole range of different issues, but certainly what is still on the table is that there will be an independent authority. The IGA makes provision for dealing with overallocation in the system, as does the $12.9 billion Water for the Future Fund—which has been established by the federal government and which will deal with leaky infrastructure and safe water for the environment—and a $3 billion fund to purchase water out of the Murray-Darling system from willing sellers to deal with the issue of overallocation.